This
page is filled with wonderful classroom photos, so it may take a few extra
moments to load ... thanks for your patience :o)
Happy Weekend from Lone Pine,
California!
Late
afternoon shot of the Inyo Mountains, taken
from the hotel parking lot
It's
Sunday afternoon in the quietest town I've visited so far this year.
I'm in the high desert on the eastern side of the Sierra, right on CA Hwy
395. Central California is having storms this weekend, so I gave
up the coast to come to the Owens Valley, snuggled between the Inyo Mountains
to the east and Mt. Whitney, the Alabama Hills, and the Sierra Nevada to
the west.
Mt.
Whitney -- at 14, 496 feet -- is the tallest mountain in the contiguous
United States. Nearly 20 years ago, my husband drove me to
the 8,360-foot high trailhead at Whitney Portals, where the truly adventurous
and ambitious begin their ascent of Mt. Whitney in the summer months.
To
get to Whitney Portals, you drive through the Alabama Hills, which have
been the setting for more than 300 Western films, television shows, and
TV commercials. John Wayne made many films here, as did Roy Rogers,
Gene Autry, Humphrey Bogart, Clint Eastwood, and The Lone Ranger.
Yes,
it really snowed while we were here, though
we had to drive 60 miles to find it.
Death
Valley National Park -- the lowest point in the Western Hemisphere
at 282 feet below sea level -- is about 100 miles southeast of here is.
Death Valley is a popular winter destination for photographers and people
who's like to see its beauty while avoiding the sizzling summer temperatures.
There
are many other wonderful outdoor spots to visit from Lone Pine, including
Mono Lake, the ghost town of Bodie, the Inyo National Forest, the John
Muir and Golden Trout Wilderness areas, the World War II War Relocation
Center at Manzanar, Devil's
Postpile National Monument, and the ski area at Mammoth Mountain, north
of the town of Bishop.
Just
over a week ago, we spent our entire Friday morning making our February
Quilt, using all-new designs I created
just for KinderKorner. Since then, I've added another original thematic
quilt for February, which has handprint penguins
and beautiful patchwork hearts, in a black-and-pink theme. I think
you're going to like this one, too.
We
spent the past week doing fun February things ~ continuing our P
is for Penguin unit, getting a head start on Valentine's Day, learning
about Abraham Lincoln and George Washington, and
attending an awesome Black History Month assembly
at school, presented by Family Affair, who were brought to us through Young
Audiences of Kern County.
Have
you ever seen penguins in picture books? I
always smile when I see their looks. They
look like men in their fancy suits, All
black and white from head to boots. I
often wonder when it snows, Do
they freeze their little penguin toes? Do
they shiver and shake in their land of ice? Sitting
on icebergs CAN'T BE NICE!
The
one I made ... that's a clothespin holding his head on the easel :o) For more information
on TLC -- Teaching Little Children -- projects and artwork, visit
the TLC website.
Penguin By Meish Goldish
I know a bird That cannot fly: Penguin is its name. It cannot fly, But it can swim With speed that wins
it fame! I know a bird That lives on ice And waddles by the sea. It looks so cute In its black and white
suit, As handsome as can be!
I'm a little penguin short
and fat Wearing my tuxedo without
any hat I live in Antartica where
I splash and play Whales, sharks, and leopard
seals make me run away.
Their suits are black
and their vests are white. They waddle to the left
and they waddle to the right. They stand on the ice
and they look very neat, As they waddle along
on their little flat feet. Six little penguins off
an iceberg did dive, One bumped his beak,
then there were five. Five little penguins
swam the ocean floor, One saw a whale, then
there were four. Four little penguins
spun around, whee-ee! One spun off, then there
were three! Three little penguins,
with nothing to do, One went fishing, then
there were two. Two little penguins,
having lots of fun, One fell off, then there
was one. One little penguin, when
the day was done, Went home to sleep, then
there were none.
I'm
a Little Penguin
I'm a little penguin Black and white. Short and wobbly An adorable site.
I can't fly at all But I love to swim. So I'll waddle to the water And dive right in!
The
Penguin
I am a bird you know quite well, All dressed in black and white. And even though I do have wings They're not designed for flight.
I waddle, waddle, waddle, On my funny little feet. Across the icy snow I go To find a fishy treat!
February
Activities
February
Quilts
This
is our "official" classroom quilt for February. You'll find the details
about it on the February 3 InMyRoom
page.
Pieced
Hearts & Penguins Quilt
Last
week I shared the February Pieced Heart Patch, shown below. I've
made it in the past with KinderKids and First Graders, and it's a somewhat
complicated project.
I've
learned that building the more complex patches goes much easier if you
divide the patch into quarter sections and give the children a 4
1/2" x 4 1/2" sheet of copy paper to mount their pieces on, building each
quadrant of the larger patch as a separate unit. Here's a diagram
showing the individual pieces ... to do in quarter sections, simply divide
the patch on the midlines:
When
each of the four sections are finished, have the children glue them to
the 9" x 9" background paper, so that it's completely covered.
Here's
how the Pieced Heart looks made with foil wrapping paper, purchased on
clearance at Target in December:
I
mounted the heart patch on a pink 10" x 10" background square, and paired
it with the penguin handprint patch below, which I mounted on a black
10" x 10" square:
Here's
how they look together, mounted on the background squares:
Here's
a look at the quilt, done with red foil hearts:
A
detail view of the penguins:
And
here's a view of the quilt done with pink, red, and silver patched foil
hearts:
Though
the quilt is rather blurry, you can see our Presidential Portraits displayed
like a quilt, and our TLC project art gallery wall. You can also
see some of my piled up mess, which seems to always be popular with KinderKorner
visitors :o)
President's
Day
Directed Art Project: Presidential Portraits
Each
year the KinderKids and I draw wonderful portraits of Washington and Lincoln,
and they come out absolutely adorable and extremely individual and unique.
I
got the directions from another teacher many years ago, and have no idea
where they originated ~~ if I did, I'd love to give credit to the person
who created this fun project for my growing artists. I'm certain
it must have come from a resource book, so if anyone can tell me the name
and publisher of the book, I'd be happy to add it to the website.
The
directions are visual only, meaning they are simple steps showing the drawing
in progress, with no supporting text to go with them. When I taught
first grade, I illustrated this project on the overhead and the kids followed
along without problems.
Now
I do it with a piece of paper typed to a cabinet door, and the kinderkids
have no trouble with listening and following dirctions. Depending
on the speed of your group, the pictures take 10 to 30 minutes apiece.
We did Abe before lunch on Friday, and George after lunch, with plenty
of time left over to see a Friday movie.
Song
Card (tune: Twinkle Twinkle)
Black History
Month
Family
Affair
On
Thursday, we had an assembly featuring Family Affair, a performance group
sharing African-American cultural music and storytelling. The liner
notes on one of their CD's says "we educate and entertain through performances
combining cultural arts and history with a message of peace, love and unity."
In
the photo above, left to right, are Amon Sherriff, his wife Cina Sherriff,
and their friend James Balseiro. All three are very talented musicians
who sing and play traditional African instruments, some of which are from
Africa and others that they made themselves. The
KinderKids -- and the rest of the students and staff at our school -- thoroughly
enjoyed their performance and learning about the many instruments they
played. Our favorites were the various drums, the shekere (which
is made from a dried gourd), the balafon (Africa's xylophone), and the
skalimba, which is also called the sansa or thumb piano. You can
see many of these instuments in the slideshow above.
For
more information about Family Affair -- and to purchase their wonderful
CD's or to book a performance -- write to Cina Sherriff at amoncina@netscape.net
or call (770) 465-8083. Many of their compositions are original,
and both CD's are outstanding.
Sojourner Truth began her journeys in the latter half of the
19th century -- at the age of forty-six -- to speak out for the abolition
of slavery. She told of a slave girl who was sold three times by
age 13, who was beaten for not understanding her master's orders, who watched
her parents die of cold and hunger when they could no longer work for their
keep. A powerful story about one of the most important voices in
the Abolitionist movement.
Author-Illustrator Christopher Myers
retells the myth of Icarus through the story of Ikarus Jackson, the new
boy on the block, who can fly above the rooftops and over the crowd. In
this contemporary version, the winged kid nearly falls from the sky, not
because he flies too high and dares to go too near the sun, but because
jeering kids in the schoolyard and repressive adults don't like his being
different and try to break his soaring spirit. Highly recommended.
A photo collection published by Scholastic,
celebrating the varied appearances of African American children.
This is a wonderful book for any and all children, and a terrific book
for starting classroom discussions and building positive self images in
all students.
Discover the vibrant world of Harlem,
New York, as seen through the eyes of one little boy who lives there.
Uptown is a rich mix of flavors, colors, sounds, and cultures that come
together to create a vibrant community like no other
in the world. A wonderful addition to your bookshelf, filled with
rich language and pictures.
A splendid series of images in mixed
media -- from found objects, torn and cut paper, and color -- that illustrate
a series of short poems about fathers. Winner of the 1998 Coretta
Scott King Illustrator Award.
February Homework Calendar
Our
February art project is a mosaic heart, made from pre-cut construction
paper squares of random sizes. This year one child made his entire
heart red ... I've never had a child do that before, and it looked terrific!
One of my very favorite books for creating
successful and motivated readers and writers, and I recommend it highly.
Here's part of the Amazon review: "Sharon deals with the same issues
other teachers face: limited resources, tremendous diversity, and the constant threat of overcrowding. What
makes her exceptional is her clear vision. She is systematic in her thinking,
wise in her decision making."
Go read the Amazon reviews on this one,
it's great! This book has everything you need to teach phonemic awareness
in a context-rich manner, using readily available books you can find in
your school library, public library, Target or Walmart or local bookstore.
Optiz lists more than 350 books your students will enjoy while exploring
word play and language.
Another book that every early childhood
teacher should have on their reading table ... ask your principal to buy
copies of this for ALL the teachers at your school, especially if they're
as committed to developing literacy as they are to improving test scores
:o)
Discover how to provide students with
real-world reasons to write and engage them in effective writing workshops.
There are also suggestions on how the entire school culture can support
the teaching of poetry and nonfiction.
Another must-have book for primary grade
teachers working with emergent readers and writers. Hoyt shares more
than 170 of her best mini-lessons for use during shared reading and shared
writing, as well as small group and individual literacy instruction.
Filled with information you can read today and use tomorrow to improve
your Balanced Literacy program.
The
Mitten is based on an old Ukranian Folktale, and Brett's version is
filled with her wonderful trademark illustrations that bring the story
to life. As with all of Brett's books, the KinderKids really enjoy
the sidebar illustrations that show what's going on somewhere else in the
story.
This wonderful picture
of mittens from around the world comes from Lois Ehlert's Snowballs,
one of our other featured favorite January stories.
Brett's drawings bring extra zest to
this popular story about a little boy who loses his mitten and all the
animals that crawl inside it to stay warm. Brett's website offers
downloadable coloring sheets and character masks for this book and other
Brett stories.
A feisty Tomten (who looks like a Troll
to me) is stealing all of Henny's eggs, which means she'll never have chicks
of her own. Hedgie helps Henny trick the Tomten and scare him away
for good. Beautiful illustrations lead to long discussions and wonderful
story predictions. Just released and already a favorite in my classroom
... We LOVE Hedgie!
A tale inspired by The
Mitten, and a lot of fun. Hedgie gets a sock stuck on his head
and suddenly ALL the animals want hats made of Lisa's laundry that's blown
off the clothesline. Sidebar illustrations show Lisa getting ready
for winter. Another classroom favorite we read over and over and
over again, and enjoy every time!
New
This Week ~
